Friday, May 23, 2014

Mirena and Depression

Okay. I know. I haven't been blogging very "regularly" lately. I have been in a funk for a while. And I just have been instagramming more. But there are a few things I want to write about. This post will be about the first one, just be warned it is a bit personal so you can skip this post if you want. :0)

Mirena and Depression - I just wish I had known about this before I had my Mirena put in. 18 months ago I had an IUD put in. I had been on the pill when Jon and I first got married and it was great. Then after Annie was born I tried the mini pill and got depressed after 3 weeks and I quit it. After Harrison I really REALLY wanted the Mirena to work for me so I wouldn't have to deal with periods anymore.

Here is what it was really like. First I went crazy (short tempered and cranky) for about 6 weeks. Jon was ready to get it out right then. But told him we should wait and see if it settled down because I really wanted to have no periods. I bled sporadically and enough to need to wear something for the first 14 ish months. YES people.

Doctors often seem so eager to get you on the Mirena but I didn't hear that it was normal to bleed randomly for that long. Apparently it was because I went to my Doc to ask what was up and he said it was all normal. Even after 14 months I bled randomly throughout the month. It just wasn't always enough to merit wearing something.

The "Crazy" did wear off a bit, but I had some serious stress and challenged to work through then. Basically, Jon was looking for a new job and I started studying for the bar exam. Then Jon got his new job and left town and I packed up the house and moved us. And then there was moving a week before Camille's angel anniversary. So I was super emotional all through this.

I told myself to just give myself 6 months in Dallas and it would get better. And while I did get used to the place and feel more like I had friends here, I still didn't feel... myself. February was especially tough. There were weeks I just wanted to stay in bed and cry all day. By this point I had no REASON to be down. I mean it was just silly. I felt so blessed in my life. I looked at signs of depression online and I had 7 of the 10 classic signs.

So I began to wonder if the IUD was playing a role. I googled Mirena and Depression and read story after story that sounded so much like mine. I made an appointment with a doctor here. She suggested perhaps I needed estrogen in the mix to balance out my hormones. She put me on the pill I originally took as a young married. 10 days into that pill and I was WAY worse.

My parents came to visit and I just couldn't climb out of the pit I was in to show them how excited I was that they were here. My mom was worried about me. I stopped taking the pill after she left and it was suddenly SOOOO much better. I made an appointment to go back and have the IUD removed.

I have been IUD free for about two weeks now. It feels like a heavy blanket has been taken off me. I am able to really feel happy again and feel like myself. I share all this just in case there is anyone else with the Mirena or another hormonal contraception that is feeling like I was and not able to figure out why.

Don't let Doctors tell you it has no effect because the hormone is so small an amount and only directly into your uterus. Please! Some of us are just more sensitive to hormones than others I think and if you are one of those people, look into getting rid of those things.

Consider this my Public Service Announcement. Hopefully I will get my booty in gear to blog more because I do have more to write.

17 comments:

Sonia Mansell
said...

Hi Stephanie,

I'm a first-time commenter, and long-time reader of your blog. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! So many of your posts are so encouraging and inspiring, and sharing about this struggle is sure to help gals who are facing a similar issue. Thanks, and I look forward to more blog posts!

I had a terrible PPD after my second child. I went on a low dose pill after him and it spiralled me out of control. I got the NOVA T IUD in. It is copper and worked wonderfully for me. I still got my period but my body simply cannot handle hormones of any kind. This was the answer to my prayers. http://www.bayer.ca/files/ENG-NOVT%20DEV%201%20PI%2081527628%20130214%20(2).pdf

Here is a link.

I hope if you need something this works for you.

Jocelyn

Only signing in with anonymous because I cannot remember my password! HA!

These stories must be shared! I am a big mental illness advocate. Close to 50% of the population will develop one in there lifetime. It is not a death sentence. The doctor can help. Good for you that you got the help you needed. I too am a hormone sensitive gal and I was looking for the end of periods as well. There is an outpatient procedure called an oblation. I had one in 2007ish and haven't had a period since. Good luck to you!

I am so glad you found an answer to what was holding you down in the hole of depression! Here's hoping that you can continue to be you and find greater happiness. What horrible side effects you have been suffering! Prayers for you always.

I didn't have my IUD long enough to know if the hormones bothered me too much. At about 9 or 10 weeks it perforated my uterus and I had to have it surgically removed. I too wanted to have no periods! What a bummer when the easy cost effective solution turns out to be anything but easy! I am sorry you had to endure so much frustration to know it wasn't right for you! Life isn't meant to be bliss all the time but I hope happy and contentment come easier and more often now! Thanks for sharing!

Wow...I could have written this, except I didn't last that long. I had the Mirena for 6 months and I went from a happy, easy-going mom to an angry, depressed witch. My doctor said it had nothing to do with the Mirena, but I finally got it taken out. After about a month, I felt like the fog lifted and I became myself again. I cannot take birth control of any kind. None of the many gyno doctors I've had will admit that someone can be so affected by birth control, but I've talked to many women who get symptoms of depression when using them. I currently use the Paraguard and I love it. I had less spotting than the Mirena and after having it for 18 months, I don't spot at all and I even miss periods occasionaly. It hasn't changed my cycle at all but I normally have light, short periods. All I know is that it's worth it to try it out. I wish doctors would acknowledge the huge issue surrounding synthetic hormones and women! I think there would be a lot less drug use and happier women if they knew what fake hormones can do to your body!

I had depression associated with the mire a too! And I loved reading this blog post, because it's the first I've read of someone else having this problem!

I had mine taken out a little over a year after I had it put in. I told my doctor the reason was I was feeling depressed on it. He seemed SO surprised and said he'd only had one other patient ever mention that to him. (I think other women were afraid to speak their truth!).

So I had mine removed and the depression seemed to be gone within a seemingly short period of time. I'm glad to read this, so I don't feel that I was such an anomaly as my doctor had made me out to be!!!

I had depression associated with the my mirena too! (Gotta love auto correct! Which is why I'm posting a second time!).

I loved reading this blog post, because it's the first I've read of someone else having this problem!

I had mine taken out a little over a year after I had it put in. I told my doctor the reason was I was feeling depressed on it. He seemed SO surprised and said he'd only had one other patient ever mention that to him. (I think other women were afraid to speak their truth!).

So I had mine removed and the depression seemed to be gone within a seemingly short period of time. I'm glad to read this, so I don't feel that I was such an anomaly as my doctor had made me out to be!!!

the Mirena is so great for so many women, but I had mine pulled after 6 months of constant bleeding and an insane amount of hair loss (and let's face it, I don't have that much to begin with). Hormones can affect us all in different ways and it's not for everyone! Glad you figured it out, it took awhile for me to connect the dots :>)

The doctor recommended the Mirena to assist with menopause the same thing that happen to you happened to me. you were way more patient than me though i got the thing ripped out within 6 months. felt better within days.

Hi Stephanie,I also had the Mirena but it caused me to gain weight and I ate a ton. I still can't lose the weight I gained on it but like you had it removed after a year I think. I thought it seemed like a nice option but hated the side effects. When I did a search on it I also saw that a lot of woman gained weight while using it. Glad you are enjoying Dallas

I had the Mirena IUD for 3 yrs and my depression just kept getting worse...I never even thought about it being the IUD because I have depression anyway, but I finally went to a hospital for 4 days and one of the first things the doctors suggested was getting the IUD out. I felt so much better! Still have depression, but definitely more manageable.

I don't have the Mirena but I have been getting the depo-provera shot. not for contraception (hub had "the surgery" after two kids), but because I am 46 and would bascially have a period for 3 weeks out of 4. lovely.

I feel like the depo shot has also caused me to have severe depression-- my gyn pushes for the Mirena, and I feel like she feels like depression is weakness on my part. do you know what I mean? but i know it is real. every afternoon at about 2:00, something about the light and the contrast outside makes me just feel really sad. it is crazy.

Hello,I'm beginning to research the effects of mirena and depression and am wondering, has anyone had depression before mirena and it just made it worse? I've had the IUD since Ocotber 2014 and ever since I've felt like I've been in a dark hole. There are days and weeks I can't get out of bed. I don't know how many days I've missed work and frankly can't believe I still have a job. I can't tell if my depression is worsening on it's own or if the mirena has given it a shove. I don't feel like doing anything, going anywhere, talking to people, being around people, emotional, cranky. I'm on 3 different antidepressants and feel nothing improving.Thanks.

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